Disk wheel



E. R. DRAVER.

DISK WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 12, 1921.

' 1,41 1,423. Patented Apr- 4, 1922.

PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL R. DRAVER, 0F RICHMOND, INDIANA.

DISK WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr.v 4, 1922.

Application filed February 12, 1921. Serial No. 444,337.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EMIL R. DRAVER, a citizen of the United States, Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disk Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to disk wheels of the type used on motor-propelled vehicles and provided with pneumatic tires, and is in the nature of an improvement on, or modification of, the device disclosed and claimed in my pending application S. N. 414,551, filed October 4, 1920, and like the said application, is directed to improved means for permitting a charging tube to be applied to the valve stem, from the'outer side of the wheel disk, when such valve stem is located on the inner side of the disk.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation looking at the inner face of the wheel and illustrating my invention applied thereto;

of Fig.

i and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 1 of the parts of the wheel.

The numeral 3 indicates the flanged wheel hub; the numeral 4, the wheel disk; the numeral 5, the wheel rim; the numeral 6, the tire casing, and the numeral 7,, the inner tube, which latter hasthe customary valve stem projected inwardly through a hole in rim 5, and in the flange of the disk 4 at a point at the' inner side of said disk.

Approximately in line with the inner end of the valve stem 8, tlre disk is provided with a port 9 shown as elongated in a direction radially of the wheel. This port, when open, permits an air charging tube to be passed therethrough from the outer side of the wheel and coupled to the valve stem, for the obvious purpose of charging the tire.

For normally closing the port 9, there is a port cover 10 shown as formed with a laterally offset marginal flange which permits said cover to enter said port flush with the outer face of the disk, but prevents said residing at cover from being forced further outward through said port.

The port cover 10 is secured to the flange of a lever 11 that is hinged at 12 to lugs 13, secured on the inner face of the wheel disk 4.. The lever swings on a radial plane of the wheel. The short end of the lever 11 is formed with bearing points 14 and 15 and is preferably made concave between said points.

The numeral 16 indicates a leaf spring, which, at one end, is rigidly secured to the inner face of the disk, and at its free end, is curved for contact with the bearing points 14 and 15.

When the cover is moved to, or quite closely to, port-closing position, the free end of spring 16 will bear against contact point 15 and will hold said cover in its closed position, if the same be closed, or will complete the closing movement thereof, if it be but slightly open, when released. Thus this spring not only completes the closing move ment of the cover and holds the same against accidental opening movement, but prevents rattling.

When the lever 11 and cover 10 are swung inward and upward-to port-closing position; as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the free end of spring 16 will engage both contact points 14 and 15 and will thus hold said cover in its port-closing position while the air charging tube is being'applied to the valve stem. The contact point 15 prevents the lever and cover from being thrown too far upward by the action of the spring. To facilitate pulling the cover towards its closed position, it is shown as provided with a small lip or projection 17 on its outer face.

The device described, while of simple and cheap construction, is eflicient for the purpose had in view. When the cover is in port-closing position, the disk, except on the closest inspection, will appear as unbroken, or, in other words, as an ordinary disk. Of course, the device described is capable of application to double disk wheels, but it is especially intended for application to single disk wheels.

Instead of setting the cover to swing in a radial plane, of the wheel, it may, for example, be turned 90 degrees and applied in the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1. Preferably, the cover proper is secured to an independently formed lever, but

it may be otherwise hinged or fulcrumed to the wheel disk. In the construction illustrated, the lever 11 is fulcrumed at 12, is provided with the cover 10, at its long end and with the spring engaging lugs or hearing points at its short end.

Attention is further called to the following important facts: The port cover is a supplemental part of the disk proper in that, when in a closed position, it covers or fills the port and completes the surface of the disk; in moving to and from port-closing position, the port cover moves laterally toward and from the body of the disk and does not move edgewise along or parallel to the plane of the disk; when the port cover is in a closed position, both surfaces thereof are exposed, one at each side of the disk; and, as referably designed, said cover, when in closed position, sets in flush with the outer surface of the disk, giving the disk, except on very close inspection, the appearance of a complete or unbroken disk.

What I claim is: l. A disk wheel having in its disk a port position, and yielding means located on the inner side of said disk and operative to yieldingly hold said port cover in a port-closing position. 1

2. A disk Wheel having in its disk a port. through which a valve stem may be reached from the outer side of the wheel, a port cover connected to said disk and mounted for movements laterally toward and from said disk directly to and from port-closing position, and yielding means located on the inner side of said disk and operative to yieldingly hold saidport cover both in port closing and in port-opening-positions, and which cover fits said port, is a supplemental part of said disk and when in closed position is exposed at both sides of said disk.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EMIL R. DRAVER. 

